IU Health LaPorte Sleep Services Offers Home Sleep Test Option

 
 

If you suffer from excessive sleepiness, loud snoring, frequently wake up with a dry mouth or sore throat, have a hard time staying asleep, suffer from high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes or are overweight, you may suffer from sleep apnea. The condition affects at least 40 million adult Americans. is a common disorder involving abnormal pauses in breathing or extreme shallow breathing during sleep. These respiratory disruptions can last 10 seconds to a few minutes, and may occur multiple times within a rest period. Usually, when normal breathing resumes, the sleeper will snort or snore loudly. Sleep apnea is diagnosed through a sleep study, which usually involves an overnight stay at a sleep center where technicians monitor your sleep. IU Health LaPorte Sleep Services now offers an in-home test as an alternative. It measures breathing patterns, heart rate and oxygen levels during the night and is significantly cheaper than traditional overnight testing in a sleep center. It’s also covered by most insurance plans.

Interested individuals should request the home sleep apnea test with a primary care physician. There is no wait time, and the test can be picked up at IU Health La Porte Sleep Services by appointment only. Staff will provide complete guidance and instructions. Individuals may drop off the test to the office the next day. Each test is reviewed by a physician, and results are shared with the patient’s primary care doctor in about 10 days. Treatment options vary but usually require usage of a CPAP machine to keep the airway open and allow for normal breathing patterns during sleep. Ask your doctor about the best sleep apnea and snoring treatment for you. 

For more information or to make an appointment to pick up an in-home sleep apnea test, call (219) 325-4633.